info@lenaemery.com
Influenced by the aesthetic and animistic philosophies of Japan, Emery’s artistic practice is rooted in proposing paradigms sustainable with the life forms and resources of our planet.
In 2021 Emery was selected as one of the Decade of Change Award Winners, a global environmental initiative conceived to harness the universal power of the arts to galvanise climate action.
Born in Germany, Emery grew up between Asia and Europe and studied Fine Arts on a part-scholarship at Parsons Paris. Emery’s work has been published by Gestalten, Rizzoli, Kominek, SPBH, Art Paper Editions and exhibited at Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art London, The Nest Summit NY, Asama International Photo Festival Miyota and The Climate Change Museum HK.
The British Journal of Photography referenced Emery’s book ‘Rie’ as one of the most engaging & exciting projects of the year, as presented on their 2016 “Cool & Noteworthy” issue cover. “When I first picked up Rie, I immediately knew this wasn’t an ordinary book of nudes. This openness creates pictures much like a breath of fresh air. Emery is certainly a portraitist and bookmaker whose work I will continue to keep an eye on.” – Todd Hido
Emery’s book ‘Yuka & The Forest’ (printed on 100% recycled paper with 30% of profits donated to the WWF) draws on Japan’s powerful cultural connection to forests and was exhibited within the Prix du Livre d’Auteur in Arles in 2019. “In the battle of representation, Emery’s work surrounding the climate crisis has returned to a place that is quieter, somewhere a little less painful but at the same time doesn’t let us forget the dark weight that is pressing down on the world. Her images show a place that is some distance from the entrenched view of humans as subject and the world as an object, and offers a renewed perception of symbiosis.” – Kris Kozlowski Moore ‘Yuka & The Forest’
EMERY: As a teenager I came across the works of naturalist, artist and author Joy Adamson, who wrote: ‘Since we humans have the better brain, isn’t it our responsibility to protect our fellow creatures from, oddly enough, ourselves? Wildlife is something which man cannot construct. Once it is gone, it is gone forever. Man can rebuild a pyramid, but he can’t rebuild ecology, or a giraffe.’ At age 18 inspired by Adamson’s commitment to wildlife conservation I moved to a small island in Southeast Sulawesi, where my father and friends had set up a dive resort and marine reserve. At the time we were without internet or phone reception and only boat that came every two weeks to pick up and drop off divers and supplies. Today, after two decades of collaborative conservation in partnership with the indigenous population, Wakatobi is a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve with the highest number of reef and fish species in the world.
Emery follows a plant based diet and works with animal welfare and environmental groups RSPCA and Trees for Cities, while campaigning against the use of fur and exotic skins. A percentage of book and print sales are donated to organisations such as: The World Wide Fund For Nature, More Trees (Japan), The Ere Foundation (FR), The Canopee Foundation (FR), Black Minds Matter (UK), The Black Curriculum (UK), Exists Loudly (UK), Elmhurst Hospital (USA) and WIRES (AU).
Selected Publications
Atmos, British Vogue, BJP, Dazed, M Le Magazine du Monde, Pleasure Garden, Pop, Purple, System, The Gentlewoman, Wallpaper, WSJ,
Selected Clients
CK, Chanel, Chloe, De Beers, Dior, Helmut Lang, Hermes, Lemaire, Mulberry, Stella McCartney, Tiffany & Co, Victoria Beckham